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Turkmenistan commissions pipeline able to supply gas to Europe

Turkmenistan has commissioned the East-West gas pipeline that will be used for delivering Turkmen gas to Europe in the future, Trend's correspondent reported from Turkmenbashi.

The pipeline runs from Shatlyk gas compressor station in Mary province to Belek gas compressor station in Balkan province.

Turkmenistan's largest gas fields such as Galkynysh and Dovletabad are located in Mary province.

The gas pipeline is meant to transport natural gas to the country's other gas pipelines and to increase the volume and reliability of gas export. It will enable to meet the gas demand of the country's regions, construct and commission tens of new industrial facilities, ensure the development of leading sectors, primarily the electricity sphere.

Earlier, the European Commission's Vice President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic said that the EU expects to receive Turkmen gas in 2019. A working group consisting of deputy energy ministers from the EU, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey was created for this purpose in 2015.

The best route for delivering Turkmen gas to Europe would be a 300-kilometer long gas pipeline running through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijani coasts by further connecting it to the Southern Gas Corridor gas pipelines' system.

In this case, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey will play a role of transit countries.

The length of the East-West pipeline is 773 kilometers with the capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of gas.

The pipeline's construction has been carried out since May 2010 by Turkmengaz and Turkmennebitgazgurlushyk (Turkmenneftegazstroy) state concerns. Foreign companies were also involved in the contract work. The approximate cost of the pipeline's construction is $2.5 billion.

Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world for the volume of natural gas reserve. The Galkynysh field, the gas from which will be transported via the East-West pipeline has 21.2 trillion cubic meters of gas reserve.

It is the second largest field in the world after the South Pars field in Iran. The third stage of developing this field started in mid-December.